Sweet Lucy's new sweet digs.

[marinade]

Just a quick heads up for all of you ‘cue-heads. Sweet Lucy has gone inside and the place shines! Same location, brand new Southern Pride cooker, and a great eating area. They’re now open for dinner till nine. BYOB, bring your own Blues (or Bluegrass).

[Andrew Fenton]

I have just two words: Awe and Some. I love Sweet Lucy's barbecue, but in cold weather, it's a drag to sit there in the car eating it. Thanks for passing along the information.

Hmm. Mom's in town, and she loves her some BBQ. Maybe I'll take her up there on Monday...

[marinade]

Alas--closed Mondays. There are reasons that there are Blues songs written about that day (Stormy Monday and Blue Monday... and throw in Monday, Monday for those of you who use to wear "flowers in your hair"). Better get there tomorrow before the storm hits.

I have just two words: Awe and Some.  I love Sweet Lucy's barbecue, but in cold weather, it's a drag to sit there in the car eating it.  Thanks for passing along the information.

Hmm.  Mom's in town, and she loves her some BBQ.  Maybe I'll take her up there on Monday...

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Edited February 26, 2005 by marinade (log)

[mrbigjas]

can you remind us of where it is, again? thanks yo.

and yes, i know i'm lame for not having gotten there yet...

[marinade]

Arise and walk oh lame one and proceed to 7500 block of State road and cure thyself. Between Cottman & Rhawn. If your heading North or South on 95, it's the Cottman exit. Make a left on State and head up the block. The food truck and the cords of hickory are still outside.

can you remind us of where it is, again?  thanks yo.

and yes, i know i'm lame for not having gotten there yet...

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[herbacidal]

Correction, from 95 North, it's a right onto State Road.

But currently, they may have both exits from 95 to Cottman unavailable due to construction.

[marinade]

Correction, from 95 North, it's a right onto State Road.

But currently, they may have both exits from 95 to Cottman unavailable due to construction.

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Herb,

you're right on the turn. BTW, the Cottman exit on 95 south has reopened.

[mrbigjas]

cottman exit is opened both ways, near as i can tell. we stopped up there this afternoon, and my only regret is that i didn't see the two-meat option until i had already ordered my pulled pork--i could have gotten ribs too, for another $2 or so.

anyway, woo, that's good stuff. i like tommy gunn's sides better (esp their greens which are as good as any i've ever had or made), but lucy's pulled pork wins, i think. the brisket is great too--actually i think if it ordered it again, i'd get it dry, because it was good enough to not need the sauce.

thanks for the tip and directions y'all.

[marinade]

cottman exit is opened both ways, near as i can tell.  we stopped up there this afternoon, and my only regret is that i didn't see the two-meat option until i had already ordered my pulled pork--i could have gotten ribs too, for another $2 or so. 

anyway, woo, that's good stuff.  i like tommy gunn's sides better (esp their greens which are as good as any i've ever had or made), but lucy's pulled pork wins, i think.  the brisket is great too--actually i think if it ordered it again, i'd get it dry, because it was good enough to not need the sauce.

thanks for the tip and directions y'all.

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Their pulled pork -- State Rd of the Art!! I needed some to fill out a recipe that I'm playing with tonight. I usually keep a batch around next to the toothpaste for emergencies but I was running low. The recipe is a Pulled Pork Shepherds Pie. I'm setting it up in a 9" inch spring form. It's a bottom layer of pulled pork, slightly wet, then a layer of sautéed julienne carrots, yellow squash, and zucchini, dosed with some of my house Cajun rub, with the additional layer of Bourbon Sweet Potato mash. In the oven @325o for 30-45 minutes or so. Sweet Lucy’s is making my smoker obsolete.

[john b]

Sweet Lucy’s is making my smoker obsolete.

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I use my smoker when I can plan ahead and Sweet Lucy's when I need a quick fix.

Is the indoor location on the same side of the street as the truck was or is it across the street?

[cdh]

Had lunch there today, and it was great. Located in the building fronting the parking lot the lunch truck has always been parked in.

The brisket sandwich was quite good indeed. The slaw with mustard seeds was also great. The beans were extremely smoky, almost like a campfire-cooked taste, actually. They need a bit of work, I think, insofar as the ashy smoke contributed a bit of bitterness that didn't work with the green peppers that were also in the mix.

[mrbigjas]

i mainly tasted sweetness and green peppers in the beans. i have to admit they weren't my favorite beans ever. the slaw was great--not too sweet like a lot of slaw is.

but the pulled pork.... <homer simpson drooling noise>

[Andrew Fenton]

Lunch today at Sweet Lucy's revealed how surprisingly nice their restaurant is. I guess our DDC experience in the industrial break room led me to expect a similar atmosphere, but no: it's clean, bright, with high ceilings and tasteful meat-related artwork. And the 'cue is as good as ever. I made the mistake of not asking for the sauce on the side, but other than that, a pork sandwich with collards and green beans hit the spot like nobody's business.

[Diann]

Ooh, I have to try this place, especially since Phoebe's last night made me crave good pulled pork and brisket. (And by that I mean, while Phoebe's is my easy standby for ribs, chicken, mac and cheese and beans, I think their brisket leaves something to be desired. Pulled pork is fine, but not awesome).

How are the other sides at Sweet Lucy's?

[Jeff L]

Ooh, I have to try this place, especially since Phoebe's last night made me crave good pulled pork and brisket. (And by that I mean, while Phoebe's is my easy standby for ribs, chicken, mac and cheese and beans, I think their brisket leaves something to be desired. Pulled pork is fine, but not awesome).

How are the other sides at Sweet Lucy's?

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Well, I thank all those who posted comments on this place. I've been there for lunch three times in the last ten days. For me it's a 30 minute plus drive, but then again, I'm someone who goes 45 minutes to Tony Luke's for a roast port italian sandwich. Sweet Lucy is the Tony Luke's of barbecue, Tony Luke's of course being the gold standard.

I had the pulled pork sandwich and must say it is about the best I've had anywhere, including Kansas City, Memphis, and places in the Carolinas.

The texture is dead on along with the unmistable smokey flavor the meat imparts.

The ribs were equally tasty with that beautiful genuine pink coating that only real deal places can acheive. Full of flavor and paired with their sauce..hard to beat around these parts. I took home a quart of their sauce and was quite happy with my barbequed chicken.

Looking forward to trying the brisket...stay tuned.

[mrbigjas]

welcome to the forum, jeff.

[Jeff L]

welcome to the forum, jeff.

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Thank you kind sir. Looking forward to all the information

[Jeff L]

Just figured out how to position my responses properly!

[Andrew Fenton]

I'll second the welcome: howdy, Jeff.

I agree that Sweet Lucy's is the best barbecue in the city. I'd hesitate to compare it to the BBQ temples of Texas or the Carolinas, but it's really good. For what it's worth, though, their sauce is the one thing I don't like: it's a little astringent for my liking. but whatevah...

[john b]

I'll second the welcome: howdy, Jeff.

I  For what it's worth, though, their sauce is the one thing I don't like: it's a little astringent for my liking.  but whatevah...

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Same here. I like more balance. My favorite sauce is a blend of ketchup, cider vinegar and brown sugar (pretty much equal parts) with a few extras thrown in--Worcestershire, cayenne, dry mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, etc.

[Holly Moore]

Finally made it to Sweet Lucy's. The exception that proves my rule about avoiding most bbq joints that try to be all things to all people. Sweet Lucy's pulls it off and then some. Got a new favorite Philadelphia BBQ joint. Just wondering what took me so long to get there.

One thing I noticed. Sweet Lucy's serves butter instead of Country Crock or similar "buttery spread" with their corn bread. Only bit of unauthenticity I saw.

Edited April 10, 2005 by Holly Moore (log)

[Jeff L]

Well it appears Rick Nichols has been reading this forum for insights and in the case of tomorrow's review of Sweet Lucy, I'm glad.

The headline says it all: "Serious Pig in the Northeast". I couldn't agree more. He does take issue with their cole slaw and I happen to agree. He also disses the bun for the pulled pork. I disagree, I find that style bun a perfect accompaniment to the pork.

He closes with "Sweet Lucy's has hit the barbecue trifecta, defining a new Northeast standard"

Kudos to owners Jim and Brooke Higgins for the well deserved high praise.

[Rich Pawlak]

I managed to get to the new indoor digs for Sweet Lucy's on Wednesday, just in time to avoid the dinner rush, and I've got to say that the place looks great, with very clever yet simple decor, and the staff work like a well-oiled machine, impressive for a place only open a few weeks. Genuine pride of ownership and product and service, all too rare in most restaurants these days. The early dinner crowd reminded me of the early bird crowd that you encounter all around Florida at 4PM, older, crotchety and hard to please, but the Sweet Lucy's folks charmed every last one of them. My platter (the Triple Threat! LOL, chosen instead of the Quadruple Bypass!, the actual names of the platters), featured smoky, fall of the bone ribs, smoked turkey and pulled pork, sides of baked beans and macaroni salad and cole slaw, and an impressive slab of corn bread, almost enough for two, and 3 different takes on BBQ that all succeeded, especially the turkey, moist, almost sweet-smoky and some of the best turkey of any kind that I have had in years. My dining partner had a rib and chicken combo plate, with two enormous portions of chicken and 4 meaty ribs. The chicken, like the turkey was impressive, moist and full of both smoke AND chicken flavor. A side of collards was spicy and maybe too salty, but still pretty good, and the red skin potato salad was maybe a little too creamy, but these are small complaints. The overall quality and polish of the food overrode all of that. What an impressive place!

[deprofundis]

Just had the 2 meat sampler (ribs and brisket) with baked beans and collard greens. I was underwhelmed by the ribs (maybe I just don't care much for baby backs?), but the brisket was excellent. The ribs were meaty and pretty tender, but didn't seem to have much flavor or smokiness. Adding their barbecue sauce helped a bit. As for their sauce, I rate it not quite as good as Tommy Gunn's or Smoked Joint, but still very good. Better than any sauce at Famous Dave's. The brisket was smokey and tender, and not very fatty. One of the best I've had yet. The baked beans were excellent. Collard greens were just OK. Cornbread was decent. Way better than Tommy Gunn's. Wasn't the more savory kind like at the Smoked Joint, but not too sweet either. All around it was a very good meal, but I wouldn't get ribs here. I have to try a pulled pork sandwich next time I go back. Total meal including soda set me back a little over $14. A good value. I give the place 3.5 grease stains (can you give a half grease stain?). I may up it to 4 grease stains if the pulled pork is great. I can't, however, award the coveted 5th stain because of the ribs.

Edited April 23, 2005 by deprofundis (log)

[Diann]

I've been eating a lot of barbeque lately -- first Porky & Porkie, then Sweet Lucy's. Finally made it there on Thursday BEFORE 8PM, which is when they close (except for Fridays and Saturdays, when they're open until 9). Last time I tried to go, we pulled into the parking lot at 8:01, and the doors were locked! :(

I had the brisket sandwich platter, served with beans and coleslaw; we also tried the ribs, brisket, pulled pork, wings, garlic mashed potatoes, collard greens, and cornbread. I really liked everything -- including the baby backs and the fact that the sandwich was served on a slightly squishy roll (I was afraid it'd be on a Kaiser roll, which I don't think is right for brisket). All the meats had a good deep smoke, and I'll be back for the ribs, brisket, and cornbread (slightly sweet, very pale yellow and fluffy). Greens were slightly dull, and sides were kinda skimpy overall. Overall opinion varied on the ribs--others didn't like them, so I think it really just depends on personal taste. Everyone liked the brisket; the pulled pork felt "off" because the sauce seemed to be the same as what was on all the other meats -- not vinegary, basically sweet. But oh, that smokey, tender brisket...

You should definitely eat there when you go, too -- it's impressive inside. And the rolls of paper towels on each table are a nice touch.